Essaouira and the legend of Jimi Hendrix.
Many have been here: Colonials, pirates, movie stars, as soldiers or pirates fought in the Moroccan port city of Essaouira. What remained were new flags and crowns or just movies. The port city was garrison, fortress or even just staffage. With Jimi, everything was different. He didn't need the city as a backdrop, he gave the place his name. The hippies flocked to Morocco in 1968. It was the hashish and the beaches that attracted them. Essaouira had both.
When they arrived, worlds collided: rock music on muezzin. The locals cultivated the legend of Jimi's visit - back in 1968. Fatherless boys became Jimi's sons. "Jimi was here" tops any five-star rating. Beaches breathe the magic of his presence.
The work shows juxtapositions of the places where the musician is said to have stayed. Portraits show residents of the city who maintain the cult of Hendrix, perpetuating the illusion that he is still omnipresent or has just departed. What exactly is true about the legend is secondary - a good story can be told.
“Dezemberausstellung” Group Exhibition, Kunsthalle Winterthur, 2019
